Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was an American

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

and bandleader from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States.

Career

During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands of

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...

and

Teddy Powell Teddy Powell (March 1, 1905 – November 17, 1993) was born in Oakland, California, United States, as Teodoro Paolella, and became a respected American jazz musician, band leader, composer, and arranger. Some of his compositions were written unde ...

. In 1945 he was named best tenor saxophonist by ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' magazine.Down Beat Poll
He led a band which included Conte Candoli,

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

, Boots Mussulli,

Ed Shaughnessy Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy (January 29, 1929 – May 24, 2013) was a swing music and jazz drummer long associated with Doc Severinsen and a member of The Tonight Show Band on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Biography Shaughn ...

, Jackie Cain, and Roy Kral. He led big bands in the 1940s and 1950s and formed the Big Four with

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

, Marty Napoleon, and Chubby Jackson. He was a sideman with Krupa through the 1960s, then worked in Las Vegas with comedian

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

. In 1992 he died of lung cancer.

Discography

* ''Stomping with the Sax'' (Crystalette, 1950) * ''Gene Norman Presents a Charlie Ventura Concert'' (Decca, 1953) * ''F.Y.I.'' (EmArcy, 1954) * ''In Concert'' (GNP, 1954) * ''An Evening with Charlie Ventura and Mary Ann McCall'' (Norgran, 1954) * ''Another Evening with Charlie Ventura and Mary Ann McCall'' (Norgran, 1954) * ''Jumping with Ventura'' (EmArcy, 1955) * ''An Evening with Mary Ann McCall and Charlie Ventura'' (Norgran, 1955) * ''Charlie Ventura's Carnegie Hall Concert'' (Norgran, 1955) * ''The New Charlie Ventura in Hi-Fi'' (Baton, 1956) * ''Plays Hi-Fi Jazz'' (Tops, 1957) * ''Crazy Rhythms'' (Regent, 1957) * ''Adventure with Charlie'' (King, 1957) * ''Here's Charlie'' (Brunswick, 1957) * ''East of Suez'' (Regent, 1958) * ''A Battle of Saxes'' (King, 1959) * ''Plays for the People'' (Craftsmen, 1960) * ''Live at the 3 Deuces!'' (Phoenix Jazz, 1975) * ''Aces at the Deuces'' (Phoenix Jazz, 1976)

As sideman

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

, ''

The Complete RCA Victor Recordings ''The Complete RCA Victor Recordings'' is a 1995 compilation 2-CD set of sessions led by Jazz trumpeter and composer Dizzy Gillespie recorded for the RCA Victor label between 1937 and 1949. Reception Writing for Allmusic, Richard S. Ginell sta ...

'' (Bluebird, 1995) *

, '' The Great New Gene Krupa Quartet Featuring Charlie Ventura'' (Verve, 1964)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ventura, Charlie 1916 births 1992 deaths Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American saxophonists American conductors (music) American jazz bandleaders American jazz tenor saxophonists American male conductors (music) American male saxophonists American people of Italian descent Bebop saxophonists Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Deaths from lung cancer American male jazz musicians Swing saxophonists HighNote Records artists Brunswick Records artists EmArcy Records artists